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Abstract:

An outdoor broadband unit implements a library of commands to communicate
between a wide area network (WAN)-side Long-Term Evolution (LTE) module
and a local area network (LAN)-side broadband home router within the
outdoor broadband unit. The commands are used for control plane
operations to facilitate LTE network sessions for individual devices
within a customer premises LAN. In some cases, the commands are also used
for communicating with a remote device manager.

Claims:

1. A system comprising: a satellite antenna to receive communications
from a satellite network; and an outdoor broadband unit connected to an
external portion of a customer premises, along with the satellite
antenna, the outdoor broadband unit including: a radio frequency (RF)
antenna to communicate with a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network, a
coaxial network controller to provide an interface to a local area
network (LAN), associated with the customer premises, for Ethernet over
coaxial signals, a LTE module to implement an air interface for the LTE
network, the LTE module including a library of commands associated with
control plane functions for a LTE radio link, and a broadband home router
to route traffic, from the LAN, to the LTE module and to provide one or
more of the commands to the LTE module, to implement control plane
functions for the LTE network, based on activity within the LAN.

2. The system of claim 1, where the commands associated with control
plane functions for the LTE radio link include attention (AT) commands.

3. The system of claim 1, where the library of commands includes commands
to: initiate the LTE module, obtain an IP address for a device within the
LAN, reset the LTE module, and invoke a test mode for the LTE module.

4. The system of claim 1, where the outdoor broadband unit further
includes a subscriber identity module (SIM) to provide services for the
LTE network, and where the library of commands includes commands to: set
an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) and a number of digits
for the mobile network code (MNC) associated with the LTE module; or
request a current IMSI for the LTE module.

5. The system of claim 1, where the broadband home router is coupled to
the LTE module via a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) interface.

6. The system of claim 1, where the broadband home router includes a
Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA)-compliant interface to send and
receive traffic from devices in the LAN.

7. The system of claim 1, where the library of commands includes commands
to: return a physical layer signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), provide one or
more of a received signal strength indication, a reference signal
received power, or a reference signal received quality, and establish a
particular transmit power setting.

8. A method implemented by an outdoor broadband unit, the method
comprising: receiving, by a broadband home router within the outdoor
broadband unit, a request for services associated with a wide area
network (WAN), the request originating from a device within a local area
network (LAN) associated with the broadband home router; generating, by
the broadband home router and based on the request, an attention (AT)
command to a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) module, within the outdoor
broadband unit, the LTE module providing an air interface for the WAN;
executing, by the LTE module, the AT command; receiving, by the broadband
home router and from the LTE module, a return value based on the executed
AT command; and sending, by the broadband home router and to the device
within the LAN, a response to the request based on the return value.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising: sending, via the air
interface for the WAN and to a device manager, configuration information
for the LTE module; and receiving, via the air interface for the WAN, a
signal from the device manager to control the LTE module.

10. The method of claim 9, where the signal from the device manager is
the AT command.

11. The method of claim 8, where the broadband home router generates the
AT command based on a library of AT commands stored in a memory.

12. The method of claim 8, where the AT command includes a command to:
obtain an IP address for a device within the LAN, reset the LTE module,
or invoke a test mode for the LTE module.

13. The method of claim 8, where the AT command includes a command to:
provide a received signal strength indication, and establish a particular
transmit power setting.

14. The method of claim 8, where the AT command is selected from a
library of AT commands including: a command to initiate the LTE module,
and a command to return a physical layer signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).

15. The method of claim 8, where the AT commands and forwarding plane
traffic between the LTE module and the broadband home router share the
same mechanical interface.

16. A device, comprising: a radio frequency (RF) antenna to communicate
with a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network; a printed wiring board
including: an antenna port to connect to the RF antenna; a coaxial
network controller to provide an interface to a local area network (LAN)
for Ethernet over coaxial signals, a LTE module to implement an air
interface for the LTE network, the LTE module including a library of
attention (AT) commands associated with control plane functions for a LTE
radio link, and a broadband home router to route traffic, from the LAN,
to the LTE module and to provide one or more of the AT commands to the
LTE module, to implement control plane functions for the LTE network,
based on activity within the LAN; and a radome to house the RF antenna
and the printed wiring board.

17. The device of claim 16, where the printed wiring board further
includes a subscriber identity module (SIM) to provide services for the
LTE network, and where the library of AT commands includes commands to:
set an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) and a number of
digits for the mobile network code (MNC) associated with the LTE module;
or request a current IMSI for the LTE module.

18. The device of claim 16, where the broadband home router is further
to: store configuration information for the LTE module, receive, from a
device manager via the LTE network, an AT command requesting
configuration information for the LTE module, and send, via the LTE
network and to the device manager, configuration information for the LTE
module.

19. The device of claim 16, where the library of AT commands includes a
command to initiate the LTE module.

20. The device of claim 16, where the library of AT commands includes a
command to: reset the LTE module, or invoke a test mode for the LTE
module.

21. The device of claim 16, where the library of AT commands includes
commands that set one or more of: RF parameters for the device,
maintenance parameters for the RF antenna, link quality indicator (LQI)
parameters for the device, and quality of service (QoS) parameters for
the device.

Description:

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

[0001] Bundled media services (e.g., combination packages of television,
telephone, and broadband Internet services) have been successfully
offered to households with wired connections to service provider
networks. Households in areas without such wired connections (e.g.,
customer in regions that cannot be reached via conventional communication
media, such as optical cables, copper cables, and/or other fixed
wire-based technologies) may rely on fixed wireless services for some of
these services (e.g., broadband access). Fixed wireless services can be
made more attractive to customers by effectively leverage existing
customer premises equipment (CPE).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0002]FIG. 1 is a diagram of a system according to an implementation
described herein;

[0003]FIG. 2 is a diagram of a customer premises of FIG. 1 according to
an implementation described herein;

[0004]FIG. 3 is a diagram of example components of an outdoor broadband
unit of the customer premises network depicted in FIG. 2 according to an
implementation described herein;

[0005]FIG. 4 is a diagram of example components of a printed wiring board
(PWB) of the outdoor broadband unit depicted in FIG. 3;

[0006]FIG. 5 is a diagram of example operations capable of being
performed by an example portion of the system illustrated in FIG. 1;

[0007]FIG. 6 is a diagram of example functional components a broadband
home router (BHR) of the PWB of FIG. 4;

[0008]FIG. 7 is a diagram of an example components of a Long Term
Evolution (LTE) module of the PWB of FIG. 4;

[0009]FIG. 8 is a diagram of example components of a device that may
correspond to one of the devices of the system of FIG. 1 or the customer
premises network of FIG. 2; and

[0010] FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of a process for implementing an AT
command interface according to an implementation described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] The following detailed description refers to the accompanying
drawings. The same reference numbers in different drawings identify the
same or similar elements.

[0012] Systems and/or methods described herein may include an outdoor
broadband unit that implements a library of commands to communicate
between a wide area network (WAN)-side Long-Term Evolution (LTE) module
and a local area network (LAN)-side broadband home router (BHR) within
the outdoor broadband unit. The commands may be used for control plane
operations to facilitate LTE network sessions for individual devices
within a customer premises LAN. In another implementation, the commands
may be used for communicating with a remote device manager.

[0013] In one implementation, the systems and/or methods may include a
satellite antenna to receive communications from a satellite network and
an outdoor broadband unit connected to an external portion of a customer
premises along with the satellite antenna. The outdoor broadband unit may
combine broadband communication signals with satellite communication
signals to provide a single point of entry for a customer premises
network. The outdoor broadband unit may include a radio frequency (RF)
antenna to receive communications from a LTE network; a coaxial network
controller to provide an interface to a LAN, associated with the customer
premises, for Ethernet over coaxial signals; a LTE module; and a
broadband home router. The LTE module may implement an air interface for
the LTE network and may include a library of commands associated with
control plane functions for a LTE radio link. The broadband home router
may route traffic, from the LAN, to the LTE module and may provide one or
more of the commands to the LTE module to implement control plane
functions for the LTE network, based on activity within the LAN.

[0014]FIG. 1 is a diagram of a system 100 according to an implementation
described herein. As shown in FIG. 1, system 100 may include customer
premises network 110, gateway equipment 120, a LTE network 130, an eNodeB
140, a satellite 150, a network operations center 160, a network 170, and
a device manager 180.

[0016] Combined gateway equipment 120, which is described in more detail
below, may generally include mechanisms for communicating with satellite
150 (to provide satellite-based communications) and for communicating
with eNodeB 140 (to provide terrestrial RF-based communications).
Communications from satellite 150 may be received by a satellite antenna
in combined gateway equipment 120, while communications from/to eNodeB
140 may be received/sent by an outdoor broadband unit in combined gateway
equipment 120. Combined gateway equipment 120 may connect, such as via a
coaxial connection, to devices inside of the customer premises, such as
the devices connected to customer premises network 110.

[0018] eNodeB 140 may include a LTE base station that may cover a
particular geographic area serviced by LTE network 130. eNodeB 140 may
include one or more devices that receive information, such as voice,
video, text, and/or other data, from network devices and/or that transmit
the information to customer premises 110 via an air interface. eNodeB 140
may also include one or more devices that receive information from
devices in customer premises 110 via an air interface and/or that
transmit the information to other network devices.

[0019] Satellite 150 may provide multimedia content from, for example, a
direct broadcast satellite (DBS) service provider (not shown in FIG. 1).
Satellite 150 may provide a downlink signal over a designated satellite
TV band frequency (e.g., in the range of 950 megahertz (MHz) to 2150
MHz). The downlink signal may be received using a satellite
antenna/receiver system at customer premises 110 to present satellite TV
content to a user.

[0020] Network operations center 160 may include one or more devices
(e.g., server devices) from which administrators supervise, monitor, and
maintain system 100. For example, network operations center 160 may be
responsible for analyzing problems in system 100 (including issues with
an outdoor broadband unit of combined gateway 120), performing
troubleshooting, communicating with site technicians and other network
operations centers, and tracking problems through to resolution. Network
operations center 160 may connect to LTE network 130 via wired and/or
wireless connections.

[0021] Network 170 may include a local area network (LAN), a wide area
network (WAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a telephone network,
such as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a cellular network,
a Wi-Fi network, an intranet, the Internet, an optical fiber (or fiber
optic)-based network, or a combination of these or other types of
networks.

[0022] Device manager 180 may include one or more server devices that
manage the operation of the outdoor broadband unit at combined gateway
120. For example, device manager 180 may maintain data regarding the
operation of the outdoor broadband unit, generate one or more reports
based on the maintained data, and provide the generated reports to one or
more devices, such as a user device in customer premises network 110
and/or network operations center 160. In addition, device manager 180 may
maintain configuration information for the outdoor broadband unit and
provide the configuration information to the outdoor broadband unit. For
example, device manager 180 may receive, on a periodic basis,
configuration information associated with the outdoor broadband unit. The
periodic basis may be every twenty-four hours, every thirty-six hours, or
some other time period. The configuration information may correspond, for
example, to a customer's outdoor broadband unit configuration settings.
Thus, in those situations where the outdoor broadband unit must be reset,
the outdoor broadband unit may be reconfigured with the customer's prior
configuration settings. Device manager 180 may connect to network 170 via
wired and/or wireless connections.

[0023] In implementations described herein, customer premises network 110
may combine LTE functionality with satellite TV service. Using combined
gateway equipment 120, both broadband (over LTE) service (e.g., via
eNodeB 140) and satellite TV service (e.g., via satellite 150) may be
brought into customer premises network 110 over a single coaxial line.
This architecture may reduce equipment installation time due to the use
of a single coaxial line for all the services. Both installation costs
and recurrent operational costs can be reduced.

[0025] Although FIG. 1 shows example components of system 100, in other
implementations, system 100 may include fewer components, different
components, differently arranged components, and/or additional components
than those depicted in FIG. 1. Alternatively, or additionally, one or
more components of system 100 may perform one or more tasks described as
being performed by one or more other components of system 100.

[0026]FIG. 2 is a diagram of customer premises network 110 according to
an implementation described herein. As illustrated, combined gateway
equipment 120 of customer premises network 110 may include an outdoor
broadband unit 200 and a satellite antenna 202. A coaxial cable 204 may
connect combined gateway equipment 120 to the indoor portion of customer
premises network 110. Customer premises network 110 may further include a
coaxial splitter 210, a power injector 220, a STB 230, a television 240,
a coax/Cat 5 converter 250, a local router 260, and user devices 270-1,
270-2, and 270-3 (referred to herein collectively as "user devices 270"
or individually as "user device 270"). One outdoor broadband unit 200,
one coaxial splitter 210, one power injector 220, one STB 230, one
television 240, one coax/Cat 5 converter 250, one local router 260, and
three user devices 270 have been illustrated in FIG. 2 for simplicity. In
practice, there may be more (or fewer) outdoor broadband units 200,
satellite antennas 202, coaxial splitters 210, power injectors 220, STBs
230, televisions 240, coax/Cat 5 converters 250, WiFi access points 260,
and/or user devices 270.

[0027] Outdoor broadband unit 200 may include one or more data processing
and/or data transfer devices, such as a gateway, a router, a modem, a
switch, a firewall, a network interface card, a hub, a bridge, a proxy
server, an optical add-drop multiplexer (OADM), and/or some other type of
device that processes and/or transfers data. In one example, outdoor
broadband unit 200 may include a wireless gateway that provides a
convergence point between wireless protocols (e.g., associated with
eNodeB 140) and IP protocols (e.g., associated with user devices 270).
Outdoor broadband unit 200 may be physically deployed with satellite
antenna 202 (e.g., on a roof or a side wall of a house associated with
customer premises network 110) as part of combine gateway equipment 120.
For example, outdoor broadband unit 200 may utilize a pre-existing or new
satellite TV installation in a way that both broadband (over LTE) service
and satellite TV are brought indoors (e.g., inside the customer premises)
over, for example, a coaxial cable 204. Additionally, or alternatively,
outdoor broadband unit 200 may be a Technical Report 069 (TR-069) enabled
device to support CPE WAN Management Protocol (CWMP). Components of
outdoor broadband unit 200 may also be powered using coaxial cable 204.

[0028] Satellite antenna 202 may provide an interface for television
service broadcast from satellites. In one implementation, satellite
antenna 202 may provide an entry point for a network (e.g., customer
premises network 110) that conforms to standards of the Multimedia over
Coax Alliance (MoCA). Generally, MoCA-compliant devices may be used to
implement a home network on existing coaxial cable, using, for example,
orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) modulation that divides
data into several parallel data streams or logical channels. Channel
stacking technology, such as the Single Wire Multiswitch (SWiM)
technology, may be used to allocate logical channels using frequency
blocks for user-selected programming to the SWiM compatible devices
(e.g., STBs 230). Satellite antenna 202 may communicate with STB 230 to
identify which blocks of channels can be used to send television signals
to that particular STB 230.

[0029] Coaxial splitter 210 may include splitting technologies to filter
LTE and satellite TV signals. In one implementation, coaxial splitter 210
may include a SWiM splitter. For example, coaxial splitter 210 may
facilitate allocating logical channels using different frequency blocks
for viewer-selected television programming and broadband signals to
SWiM-compatible STB 230 and/or Local router 260.

[0030] Power injector 220 may include a mechanism for injecting DC power
in a coaxial cable to power remotely-located devices, such as outdoor
broadband unit 200. Use of power injector 220 may allow components of
outdoor broadband unit 200 to be powered via a coaxial cable (e.g.,
coaxial cable 204) and eliminate the need for additional wiring. In one
implementation, power injector 220 may include an on-off switch (or
button).

[0031] STB 230 may include a device that receives and/or processes video
content (e.g., from a satellite TV provider via satellite antenna 202),
and provides the video content to television 240 or another device. STB
230 may also include decoding and/or decryption capabilities and may
further include a digital video recorder (DVR) (e.g., a hard drive). In
one implementation, STB 230 may conform to MoCA and SWiM standards.

[0032] Television 240 may include a television monitor that is capable of
displaying video content, television programming, content provided by STB
230, and/or content provided by other devices (e.g., a digital video disk
(DVD) player, a video camera, etc., not shown) connected to television
240. Coax-to-Cat 5 adapter 250 may include a device to convert incoming
signals from coaxial cables to outgoing signals on Cat 5 cables, such as
cat 5 cable 255.

[0033] Local router 260 may include a device that may provide connectivity
between equipment within customer premises (e.g., user devices 270) and
between the customer premises equipment and an external network (e.g.,
network 130). In one implementation, local router 260 may include a
wireless access point that employs one or more short-range wireless
communication protocols for a wireless personal area network (WPAN)
and/or a wireless local area network (WLAN), such as, for example, IEEE
802.15 (e.g., Bluetooth) and IEEE 802.11 (e.g., Wi-Fi). In other
implementations, different short-range wireless protocols and/or
frequencies may be used. Local router 260 may also include one or more
wired (e.g., Ethernet) connections. In one implementation, local router
260 may include a USB Ethernet Router that is capable of meeting LTE
quality of service (QoS) standards.

[0034] User devices 270 may include any device that is capable of
communicating with customer premises network 110 via local router 260.
For example, user device 270 may include a mobile computation and/or
communication device, such as a laptop computer, a VoIP-enabled device, a
radiotelephone, a personal communications system (PCS) terminal (e.g.,
that may combine a cellular radiotelephone with data processing and data
communications capabilities), a personal digital assistant (PDA) (e.g.,
that can include a radiotelephone, a pager, Internet/intranet access,
etc.), a wireless device, a smart phone, a global positioning system
(GPS) device, a content recording device (e.g., a camera, a video camera,
etc.), etc. In another example, user device 270 may include a fixed
(e.g., provided in a particular location, such as within a customer's
home) computation and/or communication device, such as a VoIP-enabled
device phone base, a personal computer, a gaming system, etc.

[0035] Although FIG. 2 shows example components of customer premises
network 110, in other implementations, customer premises network 110 may
include fewer components, different components, differently arranged
components, and/or additional components than those depicted in FIG. 2.
Alternatively, or additionally, one or more components of customer
premises network 110 may perform one or more tasks described as being
performed by one or more other components of customer premises network
110.

[0036]FIG. 3 is a diagram of example components of outdoor broadband unit
200. As shown in FIG. 3, outdoor broadband unit 200 may include a radio
frequency (RF) antenna 310, a printed wiring board (PWB) 320, a heat
shield 330, and a radome 340. Outdoor broadband unit 200 may be mounted
on an extension arm 350 connected to a pole supporting satellite antenna
202 (not shown).

[0037] RF antenna 310 may include an antenna to transmit and/or receive RF
signals over the air. RF antenna 310 may, for example, receive RF signals
from components on PWB 320 and transmit the RF signals over the air.
Also, RF antenna 310 may, for example, receive RF signals over the air
and provide the RF signals to components on PWB 320. In one
implementation, for example, the components on PWB 320 may communicate
with a base station (e.g., eNodeB 140) connected to a network (e.g., LTE
network 130) to send and/or receive signals from user devices 270. In one
implementation, RF antenna 310 may include a wideband multiple beam
antenna, with partially overlapping antenna beams, spanning 360 degrees
in azimuth (x-y plane). For example, RF antenna 310 may include between
four and eight beams (e.g., to achieve desirable antenna gains and
reduction of interference). Additionally, or alternatively, RF antenna
310 may employ two polarizations per beam for 2×2 downlink
multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) operation.

[0038] PWB 320 may include a substrate that mechanically holds and
connects various electronic components that are installed onto PWB 320.
PWB 320 may include, for example, a laminate structure that routes
signals between electronic components that are mounted on PWB 320.
Although described as a printed wiring board, PWB 320 could equivalently
be referred to as a printed circuit board (PCB), an etched wiring board,
or a printed circuit assembly (PCA). PWB 320 may, for example, include
components to receive broadband signals via RF antenna 310 and satellite
signals from satellite antenna 202 (not shown) via coaxial cable 322 and
to combine the broadband and satellite signals to customer premises via
coaxial cable 204. Additionally, PWB 320 may receive signals from
customer premises via coaxial cable 204 to transmit to via RF antenna 310
to LTE network 130/eNodeB 140.

[0039] Heat shield 330 may define a barrier between antenna 310 and PWB
320. Heat shield 330 may include, for example, a heat insulating
material. In some implementations, heat shield 330 may also act as a RF
shield to prevent stray RF signals, produced by components on PWB 320,
from reaching antenna 310.

[0041] Although FIG. 3 shows example components of outdoor broadband unit
200, in other implementations, outdoor broadband unit 200 may include
fewer components, different components, differently arranged components,
and/or additional components than depicted in FIG. 3. Alternatively, or
additionally, one or more components of outdoor broadband unit 200 may
perform one or more tasks described as being performed by one or more
components of outdoor broadband unit 200.

[0042]FIG. 4 is a diagram of example components that may be installed on
PWB 320. PWB 320 may include a subscriber identity module (SIM) 410, a
LTE module 420, a LTE module connector 430, a broadband home router (BHR)
440, and a coaxial network controller 450. PWB 320 may also include a
number of connectors to connect to external devices or systems, such as
customer premises network 110, RF antenna 310, and/or satellite antenna
202. The connectors shown in FIG. 4 may include: universal serial bus
(USB) port(s) 460, coaxial port(s) 470, and antenna port(s) 480. The
components shown in FIG. 4 may be implemented as integrated circuits or
other electronic components and illustrate various functionality that may
be included on PWB 320. For simplicity, conductive traces connecting the
components shown in FIG. 4 are not illustrated.

[0043] SIM 410 may include a SIM card or integrated circuit (chip). In
general, SIM 410 may function to identify and provide services, such as
security services, to the subscriber, associated with the customer
premises, when connecting to the LTE network through eNodeB 140. SIM 410
may contain, for example, a unique serial number (such as an integrated
circuit card identifier (ICCID)), an internationally unique number
associated with customer premises network 110, security authentication
and ciphering information, and/or a list of the services to which
customer premises network 110 has access.

[0044] LTE module 420 may include hardware or a combination of hardware
and software having communication capability via an air interface. In
other words, LTE module 420 may be a control module for the LTE air
interface. For example, LTE module 420 may receive broadband signals
and/or voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) signals from eNodeB 140 (e.g.,
via RF antenna 310) and transmit broadband signals and/or VoIP signals to
eNodeB 140 (e.g., via RF antenna 310). LTE module 420 may employ
frequency division duplex (FDD) and/or time division duplex (TDD)
techniques to facilitate downlink and uplink transmissions. In one
implementation, LTE module 420 may include a beam selection mechanism
that selects the best antenna beam, from RF antenna 310, according to a
certain optimization criteria. Beam selection may be performed, for
example, during initial installation and/or regular maintenance of
outdoor broadband unit 200. Additionally, or alternatively, LTE module
420 may select any of the antenna beams, based on real-time measurements,
during normal operation. LTE module 420 may connect to RF antenna 310
through antenna port(s) 490. In one implementation, LTE module 420 may be
manufactured as an insertable card, such as a mini-PCI (peripheral
component interconnect) card that may be inserted into PWB 320. LTE
module connector 430 may include a slot, such as a PCI slot, into which
LTE module 420 may be inserted and connected to PWB 320.

[0045] In one implementation, LTE module 420 may receive IP data packets
originating from a device within a LAN, such as customer premises network
110 and may send the IP data packets toward a destination via an air
interface for a WAN, such as network 130. LTE module 420 may also
receive, via the air interface for the WAN, other IP data packets, and
may send the other IP data packets toward the device within the LAN. LTE
module 420 may further receive IP control packets originating from the
device within the LAN and implement the IP control packets to initiate a
test function or maintenance function for the network device.
Additionally, or alternatively, LTE module 420 may receive software
updates and other control plane information via the air interface for the
WAN.

[0046] BHR 440 may include a device for buffering and forwarding data
packets toward destinations. BHR 440 may, for instance, receive data
packets from eNodeB 140 (e.g., via LTE module 420) and forward the data
packets toward user devices 270. In addition, BHR 440 may receive data
packets from user devices 270 (e.g., via local router 260) and forward
the data packets toward recipient devices via LTE network 130. BHR 440
may also include ports for receiving and transmitting packets, and
circuitry for efficiently processing traffic between customer premises
network 110 and LTE module 420. For example BHR may include a forwarding
table, a switch fabric, and one or more buffers to process traffic. BHR
440 may also include a command interface to communicate with LTE module
420.

[0047] Coaxial network controller 450 may provide an interface for
Ethernet over coaxial signals, such as signals transmitted over coaxial
cable 204 and into customer premises network 110. Coaxial network
controller 450 may act as a bridge device to receive signals from LTE
module 420 and to convert the signals to an Ethernet over coax signal.
The Ethernet over coax signal may be assigned a logical channel (e.g.,
according to SWiM guidelines) and may be combined with coaxial input from
satellite antenna 202. In one implementation, the output from coaxial
network controller 450 may be inserted in a Mid-RF MoCA channel that is
separate from the 950 MHz to 2150 MHz range of a typical satellite TV
system.

[0048] PWB 320 may additionally include a number of output ports or
physical interfaces. USB port(s) 460 may include ports for connecting to
external devices through the USB serial communication standard. USB
port(s) 460 may, for example, be used for diagnostic purposes, such as a
port through which a technician can connect to PWB 410.

[0049] Coaxial port(s) 470 may include an interface for coaxial cables. As
previously described, in one implementation, outdoor broadband unit 200
may be connected to a coaxial cable leading to satellite antenna 202 and
a coaxial cable (e.g., coaxial cable 204) leading to customer premises
network 110. Coaxial network controller 450 may provide a logical
interface for coaxial port(s) 470. Antenna port(s) 480 may provide a
physical connection to one or more antennas, such as RF antenna 310. In
one implementation, antenna port(s) 480 may include a first connection to
a RX (receiving) antenna and a second connection to a RX/TX
(receiving/transmitting) antenna.

[0050] Although FIG. 4 shows example components of PWB 320, in other
implementations, PWB 320 may contain fewer components, different
components, differently arranged components, and/or additional components
than depicted in FIG. 4. Alternatively, or additionally, one or more
components of PWB 320 may perform one or more other tasks described as
being performed by one or more other components of PWB 320.

[0051]FIG. 5 is a diagram of example operations capable of being
performed by an example portion 500 of environment 100. As shown in FIG.
5, environment portion 500 may include customer premises network 110,
eNodeB 140, outdoor broadband unit 200, LTE module 420, and BHR 440.
Customer premises network 110, eNodeB 140, outdoor broadband unit 200,
LTE module 420, and BHR 440 may include the features described above in
connection with one or more of, for example, FIGS. 1-4.

[0052] As further shown in FIG. 5, LTE module 420 may make up a WAN side
510 of outdoor broadband unit 200 since LTE module 420 may be associated
with a WAN provided via eNodeB 140 and/or network 130 (not shown). In one
example implementation, LTE module 420 may be referred to as a "WAN side
network device" or a "WAN side component" of outdoor broadband unit 200.
eNodeB 140 and LTE module 420 may exchange WAN communications 520. WAN
communications 520 may include wireless protocol-based communications
associated with the broadband (over LTE) service information exchanged
between eNodeB 140 and outdoor broadband unit 200. In one example
implementation, WAN communications 520 may include authentication
communications (e.g., username and password configurations), provisioning
communications associated with outdoor broadband unit 200, etc.

[0053] BHR 440 may make up a LAN side 530 of outdoor broadband unit 200
since BHR 440 may be associated with a LAN provided via customer premises
network 110. In one example implementation, BHR 440 may be referred to as
a "LAN side network device" or a "LAN side component" of outdoor
broadband unit 200. Customer premises network 110 and BHR 440 may
exchange LAN communications 540. LAN communications 540 may include IP
protocol-based communications associated with information exchanged
between customer premises network 110 (e.g., user devices 270) and
outdoor broadband unit 200. In one example implementation, LAN
communications 540 may include requests for video content, requests for
audio content, etc.

[0054] As further shown in FIG. 5, LTE module 420 and BHR 440 may exchange
LAN/WAN communications 550. LAN/WAN communications 550 may include
communications that enable outdoor broadband unit 200 to provide a
convergence point between wireless protocols (e.g., associated with
eNodeB 140) and IP protocols (e.g., associated with user devices 270 of
customer premises network 110). In one implementation, LAN/WAN
communications 550 may include commands associated with the setup and/or
maintenance of a LTE radio link. For example, LAN/WAN communications 550
may include AT commands (e.g., "ATtention" commands for controlling a
modem) to provide control instructions to LTE module 420, where "AT" is
the prefix that informs LTE module 420 about the start of a command line.

[0055] BHR 440 may provide commands to LTE module 420 based on, for
example, activity and/or services requested by devices (e.g., user
devices 270) within a LAN (e.g., customer premises network 110). For
example, in one implementation, BHR 440 may provide Dynamic Host
Configuration Protocol (DHCP) client support on WAN side 510 and DHCP
server support on LAN side 530. WAN side 510 functionality may be
implemented in LTE module 420; however, dynamic WAN addresses and Domain
Name System (DNS) addresses obtained by LTE module 420 may be transferred
to BHR 440 via AT commands as part of LAN/WAN communications 550. A
LAN-side 530 DHCP server function in BHR 440 may add computers (e.g.,
user devices 270) configured as DHCP clients to a network (e.g., LTE
network 130 and/or customer premises network 110). The LAN-side 530 DHCP
server function may provide a mechanism for allocating IP addresses to
DHCP clients and for delivering network configuration parameters to DHCP
clients. For example, a DHCP client may send out a broadcast message on
the network requesting an IP address for itself. The DHCP server function
may then check a list of available addresses and may lease a local IP
address to the DHCP client for a specific period of time and
simultaneously designates this IP address as "taken." At this point, the
DHCP client may be configured with an IP address for the duration of the
lease.

[0056] The DHCP client can choose to renew an expiring lease or let it
expire. If the DHCP client chooses to renew a lease, the DHCP client will
also receive, from the LAN-side 530 DHCP server function on BHR 440,
current information about network services, as with the original lease,
allowing the DHCP client to update its network configurations to reflect
any changes that occurred since the DHCP client first connected to the
network. If the DHCP client wishes to terminate a lease before expiration
of the lease, the DHCP client can send a release message to the LAN-side
530 DHCP server, which will then make the IP address available for use by
other devices.

[0057] Although FIG. 5 shows example components of environment portion
500, in other implementations, environment portion 500 may include fewer
components, different components, differently arranged components, or
additional components than depicted in FIG. 5. Alternatively, or
additionally, one or more components of environment portion 500 may
perform one or more other tasks described as being performed by one or
more other components of environment portion 500.

[0058]FIG. 6 is a diagram of example functional components of BHR 440. In
one implementation, the functions described in connection with FIG. 6 may
be performed by one or more components of device 900 (FIG. 9). As shown
in FIG. 6, BHR 440 may include an AT commands set 600, a controller 610,
and a setting communications component 620.

[0059] AT commands set 600 may include a set of AT commands to communicate
instructions to LTE module 420 (e.g., via BHR 440). AT commands set 600
may be stored, for example, in a memory component of BHR 440. Commands in
AT commands set 600 may generally be used for setup and/or maintenance of
a LTE radio link by LTE module 420. For example, commands may be used for
"bringing up" LTE module 420; getting an IP address and/or renewing an IP
address; setting a priority for a link; resetting LTE module 420;
adjusting timing; controlling various maintenance, installation, and
power-up modes; providing notification of various network events; etc.

[0060] In one implementation, commands in AT commands set 600 may include
a category of commands that request actions to be performed by a command
recipient, a category of commands that request performance related
parameters to be retrieved, etc. BHR 440 may initiate a particular AT
command and a recipient (e.g., LTE module 420) of the particular AT
command may return a response with an "OK" indication, an error code, a
retrieved parameter value, etc.

[0062] The certain parameters may include RF parameters, such as a signal
to noise ratio (SNR) of a serving cell, a total received signal strength
indicator (RSSI), a reference symbol received power (RSRP) of the serving
cell, a serving cell ID, a list of cell IDs on which measurements are
performed; an average rank, an average transmission mode, an average
physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) block error rate (BLER), an
average PDSCH throughput when receiving the PDSCH, an average PDSCH
throughput when transmitting on the PDSCH, and a total transmission power
when transmitting on the PDSCH. The certain parameters may also include
antenna maintenance parameters, such as a short term memory (STM) status,
a S® interval, a long term memory (LTM) status, a L® interval, a
L® time of day, and a current serving beam. The certain parameters may
further include link quality indicator (LQI) parameters (e.g., a RSRP
high threshold, a RSRP low threshold, a SNR high threshold, and a SNR low
threshold); quality of service (QoS) parameters (e.g., a number of
provisioned dedicated bearers, dedicated guaranteed bit rate (GBR)
bearers information, and dedicated non-GBR bearers information); and
miscellaneous parameters (e.g., requesting an IMSI).

[0063] Performance related parameters to be retrieved by an AT command may
include RF parameters, antenna maintenance parameters, LQI parameters,
QoS parameters, and miscellaneous parameters. The RF parameters may
include a SNR of a serving cell, a total RSSI, a RSRP of the serving
cell, a serving cell ID, a list of cell IDs on which measurements are
performed; an average rank, an average transmission mode, an average
PDSCH BLER, an average PDSCH throughput when receiving the PDSCH, an
average PDSCH throughput when transmitting on the PDSCH, and a total
transmission power when transmitting on the PDSCH. The antenna
maintenance parameters may include STM status, a S® interval, a L®
status, a L® interval, a L® time of day, and a current serving
beam. The LQI parameters may include a RSRP high threshold, a RSRP low
threshold, a SNR high threshold, and a SNR low threshold. The QoS
parameters may include a number of provisioned dedicated bearers,
dedicated GBR bearers information, and dedicated non-GBR bearers
information. The miscellaneous parameters may include an IMSI and
physical layer status.

[0064] In one example implementation, AT commands set 600 may include
particular AT commands to facilitate communications between BHR 440 and
LTE module 420. The AT commands may allow, for example, BHR 440 to
perform DHCP server functions and/or allow for remote configuration of
LTE module 420 in outdoor broadband unit 200.

[0065] Controller 610 may include hardware or a combination of hardware
and software to control BHR 440. Controller 610 may, for example,
implement an operating system for BHR 440 and may execute processes
designed to implement the network protocols used by BHR 440. In one
implementation, controller 610 may initiate local actions using commands
from AT commands set 600 to initiate setup and/or maintenance of a LTE
radio link for outdoor broadband unit 200 based on signals from devices
(e.g., user devices 270) in customer premises network 110.

[0066] Controller 610, although shown as a single abstract block in FIG.
6, may be implemented through, for example, one or more general purpose
processor(s) and one or more computer memories. Processor(s) may include
processors, microprocessors, or other types of processing logic that may
interpret and execute instructions. The computer memory (also referred to
as computer-readable media herein) may include random access memory
(RAM), read-only memory (ROM), or another type of storage device that may
store information and instructions for execution by processor(s).

[0067] Setting communications component 620 may include hardware or a
combination of hardware and software to store and communicate LTE module
420 information to an external WAN-side 510 device, such as device
manager 180. Setting communications component 620 may also provide an
interface to communicate with device manager 180 to allow a WAN-side 510
device to provide signals for remote management of outdoor broadband unit
200 (e.g., using TR-069 standards). For example, setting communications
component 620 may receive instructions from and/or send information to
device manager 180 using AT commands from AT commands set 600. In one
implementation, information stored by setting communications component
620 may include factory (e.g., original equipment manufacturer (OEM))
settings for LTE module 420, customer settings for LTE module 420, user
session information, and/or criteria related to reset requirements for
LTE module 420. For example, device manager 180 may request setting
communications component 620 to provide original factory settings and/or
current customer settings of LTE module 420 periodically or upon request
to facilitate a reset of outdoor broadband unit 200 from remote location.

[0068] Although FIG. 6 shows example functional components of BHR 440, in
other implementations, BHR 440 may include fewer functional components,
different functional components, differently arranged functional
components, or additional functional components than depicted in FIG. 6.
Alternatively, or additionally, one or more functional components of BHR
440 may perform one or more other tasks described as being performed by
one or more other functional components of BHR 440.

[0069]FIG. 7 is a diagram of example components of LTE module 420. As
shown in FIG. 7, LTE module 420 may include a control plane module 710
and a forwarding plane module 720. Control plane module 710 may include a
commands set library 715. Forwarding plane module 720 may include a radio
interface 730 and a PCI interface 740 interconnected by a routing
sub-system 750. In one implementation, control plane module 710 and user
plane module 720 may be included in separate chips on LTE module 420.

[0070] Control plane module 710 may perform control operations relating to
testing and/or maintenance of LTE module 420 and/or connectivity to LTE
network 130. In implementations described herein, control plane module
710 may be configured to receive and execute AT commands (e.g., to
implement control plane functions, such as DHCP functions, etc.) from BHR
440 to implement functions requested by devices 270 within customer
premises network 110 via a MoCA interface. For example, control plane
module 710 may receive a command (e.g., an AT command) to setup a LTE
radio link or perform a test function. Control plane module 710 may
execute the command based on, for example, instructions in commands set
library 715.

[0071] Commands set library 715 may include a list of commands (e.g., AT
commands) that may be received, performed, and/or sent by LTE module 420.
For example, control plane module 710 may receive an AT command from BHR
440 and may perform a function and/or provide a response consistent with
the command, as defined in commands set library 715. Commands set library
715 may be stored, for example, in a memory component of LTE module 420.
Commands in commands set library 715 may generally be used for setup
and/or maintenance of a LTE radio link by LTE module 420. For example,
commands may be used for "bringing up" LTE module 420, getting an IP
address and/or renewing an IP address, setting a priority for a link,
resetting LTE module 420, adjusting timing, providing notification of
various network events, etc.

[0074] Routing subsystem 750 may receive traffic from radio interface 730
and may route the traffic to toward devices in customer premises network
110 (via PCI interface 740) and/or control plane module 710.
Additionally, routing subsystem may receive traffic from customer
premises network 110 (via PCI interface 740) and rout traffic toward LTE
network 130 and/or control plane module 710. For example, routing
subsystem 750 may receive, from BHR 440, traffic with an IP address for
control plane module 710 and may forward that traffic to control plane
module 710 based on the IP address. Additionally, or alternatively,
routing subsystem 750 may forward packets to control plane module 710
based on recognition of an AT command.

[0075] Although FIG. 7 shows example functional components of LTE module
420, in other implementations, LTE module 420 may include fewer
functional components, different functional components, differently
arranged functional components, or additional functional components than
depicted in FIG. 7. Alternatively, or additionally, one or more
functional components of LTE module 420 may perform one or more other
tasks described as being performed by one or more other functional
components of LTE module 420.

[0076]FIG. 8 is a diagram of example components of a device 800 that may
correspond to one of the devices of system 100 and/or customer premises
network 110 (e.g., SIM 410, LTE module 420, BHR 440, coaxial network
controller 450, local router 260, etc.). As shown, device 800 may include
a bus 810, a processor 820, a memory 830, an input device 840, an output
device 850, and a communication interface 860.

[0077] Bus 810 may permit communication among the components of device
800. Processor 820 may include one or more processors and/or
microprocessors that interpret and execute instructions. Additionally or
alternatively, processor 820 may be implemented as or include one or more
ASICs, FPGAs, or the like. Memory 830 may include a RAM or another type
of dynamic storage device that stores information and instructions for
execution by processor 820, a ROM or another type of static storage
device that stores static information and instructions for processor 820,
and/or some other type of magnetic or optical recording medium and its
corresponding drive for storing information and/or instructions.

[0078] Input device 840 may include a device that permits an operator to
input information to device 800, such as a keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a
pen, a microphone, a touch screen, one or more biometric mechanisms, and
the like. Output device 850 may include a device that outputs information
to the operator, such as a display, a speaker, etc.

[0079] Communication interface 860 may include any transceiver-like
mechanism that allows device 800 to communicate with other devices and/or
systems. For example, communication interface 860 may include mechanisms
for communicating with other devices, such as devices of FIG. 1 or FIG.
2.

[0080] Device 800 may perform certain functions in response to processor
820 executing software instructions contained in a computer-readable
medium, such as memory 830. A computer-readable medium may be defined as
a non-transitory memory device. A memory device may include memory space
within a single physical memory device or spread across multiple physical
memory devices. The software instructions may be read into memory 830
from another computer-readable medium or from another device via
communication interface 860. The software instructions contained in
memory 830 may cause processor 820 to perform processes that will be
described later. Alternatively, hardwired circuitry may be used in place
of or in combination with software instructions to implement processes
consistent with embodiments described herein. Thus, systems and methods
described herein are not limited to any specific combination of hardware
circuitry and software.

[0081] Although FIG. 8 illustrates example components of device 800, in
some implementations, device 800 may include fewer components, different
components, differently arranged components, or additional components
than those depicted in FIG. 8. Additionally, or alternatively, one or
more components of device 800 may perform one or more tasks described as
being performed by one or more other components of device 800.

[0082] FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of a process 900 for implementing an AT
command interface according to an implementation described herein. In one
implementation, process 900 may be performed by outdoor broadband unit
200. In other implementations, some or all of process 900 may be
performed by another device or a group of devices separate from and/or
possibly remote from outdoor broadband unit 200 and/or including outdoor
broadband unit 200.

[0083] Process 900 may include receiving a request, originating from a
device in a LAN, for services associated with a WAN (block 910), and
generating, based on the request, an AT command for a LTE module (block
920). For example, outdoor broadband unit 200 (e.g., BHR 440) may provide
commands to LTE module 420 based on, for example, activity and/or
services requested by devices (e.g., user devices 270) within a LAN
(e.g., customer premises network 110). BHR 440 may receive signals from
user devices 270 via a coaxial LAN connection (e.g., MoCA interface),
and, in response, may assemble an AT command from the AT commands set 600
to retrieve required information from LTE module 420.

[0084] Process 900 may also include executing the AT command (block 930),
receiving a return value based on the executed AT command (block 940),
and sending, to the device in the LAN, a response to the request based on
the return value (block 950). For example, LTE module 420 may receive an
AT command from BHR 440 to perform a function related to setup of a LTE
radio link or performing a test function. LTE module 420 may execute the
command based on, for example, instructions in commands set library 715,
and provide a return value to BHR 440. BHR 440 may, in turn, include the
return value from LTE module 420 in a response to a user device 270.

[0085] Process 900 may additionally include sending, to a device manager
via the WAN, configuration information for the LTE module (block 960),
and receiving, via the air interface for the WAN, a signal from the
device manager to control the LTE module (block 970). For example, BHR
440 may store and communicate LTE module 420 configuration information to
an external WAN-side 510 device, such as device manager 180. BHR 440 may
also provide an interface to communicate with device manager 180 to allow
a WAN-side 510 device to provide signals for remote management of outdoor
broadband unit 200 (e.g., using TR-069 standards). BHR 440 may receive
instructions from and/or send information to device manager 180 using AT
commands from AT commands set 600.

[0086] Systems and/or methods described herein may include an outdoor
broadband unit that uses a library of AT commands to communicate between
a WAN-side LTE module and a LAN-side broadband home router. The AT
commands may be used for control plane operations to facilitate, LTE
network sessions, for devices within the LAN.

[0087] The foregoing description of implementations, described above,
provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be
exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed.
Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings
or may be acquired from practice of the invention.

[0088] For example, while a series of blocks has been described with
regard to FIG. 9, the order of the blocks may be modified in other
implementations. Further, non-dependent blocks may be performed in
parallel.

[0089] Also, certain portions of the implementations may have been
described as a "component" or "module" that performs one or more
functions. The terms "component" and "module" may include hardware, such
as a processor, an ASIC, or a FPGA, or a combination of hardware and
software (e.g., software running on a processor).

[0090] It will be apparent that aspects described herein may be
implemented in many different forms of software, firmware, and hardware
in the implementations illustrated in the figures. The actual software
code or specialized control hardware used to implement aspects does not
limit the embodiments. Thus, the operation and behavior of the aspects
were described without reference to the specific software code--it being
understood that software and control hardware can be designed to
implement the aspects based on the description herein.

[0091] Even though particular combinations of features are recited in the
claims and/or disclosed in the specification, these combinations are not
intended to limit the disclosure of the invention. In fact, many of these
features may be combined in ways not specifically recited in the claims
and/or disclosed in the specification. Although each dependent claim
listed below may directly depend on only one other claim, the disclosure
of the invention includes each dependent claim in combination with every
other claim in the claim set.

[0092] No element, act, or instruction used in the present application
should be construed as critical or essential to the invention unless
explicitly described as such. Also, as used herein, the article "a" is
intended to include one or more items. Where only one item is intended,
the term "one" or similar language is used. Further, the phrase "based
on" is intended to mean "based, at least in part, on" unless explicitly
stated otherwise.